Record 8,000 US students apply to UK universities

American students are applying for United Kingdom universities in record numbers amid Donald Trump’s college crackdown during his first few months in office, reports James Liddell for The Independent.

The Trump administration has intervened in higher education, pressuring states, colleges and universities to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programmes while attempting to dictate curriculum. The president has also launched high-profile battles against institutions such as Harvard University, freezing billions of dollars in federal funding over alleged liberal bias and antisemitism and threatening their tax-exempt status.

All of that appears to be driving American students across the Atlantic, with new figures from the UK’s university admissions service, UCAS, showing 7,930 applications from American students for the fall 2025 semester. It marks a nearly 14% rise on the previous year and the highest total since records began in 2006.
Full report on The Independent site